Upcountry travellers caught in highway snarl up
The Nairobi – Nakuru Highway was one of the several routes filtering out of Nairobi that was hit by heavy traffic on Tuesday afternoon, a scene attributed to a last minute dash by residents from all over the country to visit their loved ones upcountry during the festive season.
The 160km two-way stretch was jammed by hundreds of private cars, 14 seater matatus, mini-buses, buses and trucks. The situation worsened when in the absence of law enforcers, impatient and unruly drivers disobeyed the highway code, opting to overtake from the wrong side, leading to a large traffic snarl up between Limuru and Naivasha.
Passengers travelling to and from either of the destinations were held up for hours on end with the estimated two and a half hour long journey requiring an additional four to five hours to complete.
Public Service Operators also cashed in on the occasion to hike the fare by by twice as the much the usual amount.
Heavy vehicle traffic was also witnessed along the Mombasa – Nairobi Highway, and routes leading to Thika, Nyeri, Karatina and Kisumu.